*** Catchlight comes 7th in PAGB Print Championships 2016 **

06th November 2016

The PAGB Print Championships takes place annually, and only the Top 2 Clubs from each Federation throughout the UK are entitled to participate. As you might expect, the standard of competition is as high as it gets. Top Clubs like Wigan 10, Smethwick, Dumfries, and Inn Focus etc regularly compete for the Championship Trophy, and traditionally clubs from Northern Ireland have not fared well at this level of competition.
Catchlight Camera Club was only formed in 2012, and when the Club was formed, the intention was to gather a solid core of members who were prepared to get involved in National and International Competitions, as well as attempting the higher levels of photographic Distinctions. (I am a firm believer that unless you are competing in National and International Salons, you have no real idea of the 'standard' of competition photography at this level). In 2013 we won "The Plate" in the Print Championships, which is for all those Clubs that do not make the Final 8. When I was preparing the entry for 2014, I felt that our prints were good enough to make the Final, and so it turned out - we were in 5th place after Round 1, and ended up 5th overall in the Final.
In 2015 we just missed out on a place in the top 8, and were 2nd in the Plate by a single point from Smethwick PS.
This year, I genuinely felt that we had our strongest pool of prints ever - so much so, that I sought the views of several independent photographers to assist with choosing our best 12 for the Round 1 entry. Many thanks to Gerry Coe FRPS, Darren Brown, Terry Donnelly MPAGB, Joan Blease MPAGB, and others who willingly gave feedback on the pool of potential prints.
After Round 1 the Club finished in joint first place with an incredible 154 points - averaging 12.83 points per print!! In the Final we unfortunately slipped down to 7th place overall, but this could have been several places better if several of our prints had scored the same in the Final as they did in Round 1. Such is life, and who would be a judge etc.....but what matters is that Catchlight has once again done itself and its members proud, and put Northern Ireland Club photography on the map once again.

This result guarantees our entry for the 2017 Championships, and allows NIPA a potential 3rd Club entry for next year. To cap it all, the Club wins a PAGB Bronze Medal for its performance, and 2 members won individual awards - Hugh Wilkinson DPAGB BPE4* was awarded a Silver PAGB Medal for "Indian Pride" and Bob Given DPAGB BPE5* was awarded a ribbon for "The Gentle Touch."
Many thanks to Club Chairman Bob Given and his wife, NIPA Vice President Anne Given for taking our prints over and dealing with all the admin on the day.

To say I am proud of this Club and its achievements is an understatement!